This year marks the 94th anniversary of the September 18th Incident. The melody of the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, March of the Volunteers, has long been deeply engraved in the hearts of the Chinese people, becoming a symbol of the national spirit. The song was born in 1935 in the classic film Children of Troubled Times, directed by Mr. Xu Xingzhi, which was created against the backdrop of the September 18 Incident, with the aim of awakening the public to join the nationwide resistance movement.

Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, the exhibition A Heroic Ode to China — A Retrospective Exhibition of Xu Xingzhi's Artistic Achievements, co-hosted by the Central Academy of Fine Arts and the China Artists Association, opened at the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. The exhibition features more than 400 works and documents, comprehensively showcasing Mr. Xu Xingzhi's artistic achievements in film, painting, literature, drama, and art theory.

Former leaders and professors of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, including Sheng Yang, Du Jian, Cao Chunsheng, Huang Huaying, Han Guangxu, Yuan Baolin, Zhang Dasheng, You Jindong, Chen Wenji, Chen Jianhua, and Gao Tianxiong; Fan Di'an, President of the China Artists Association; Xue Changxu, member of the Leading Party Members' Group of the China Film Association; Luo Cunkang, Party Secretary and Director of the Memorial Hall of the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression; Xu Weigong, Deputy Party Secretary of the China National Film Museum; Yin Xing, Party Secretary and Chairman of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing House; Wang Baisong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing House; along with heads of various departments, faculty, and student representatives, all attended the opening ceremony. The ceremony was hosted by Wang Xiaolin, Deputy Party Secretary of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

Translator: ZHANG Xinni

Reviewer: ZHANG Yifan